Ventilated plant shelter



| J. BUDD VENTILATED PLANT SHELTER Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Illlllllrlnll Filed Sept. 22, I 1965 INVENTOR. [4 99% M5000 A4 ATTORNEYS Jan. 2, 1968- L.'J. BU DD VENTILATED PLANT SHELTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; ZAQQW Juaa Filed Sept. 22, 1965 BY 14% w2qM/%Mg,., 4% ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,360,884 VENTILATED PLANT SHELTER Larry J. Budd, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Pallet Devices, Inc.. Des Plaines, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 489,290 2 Claims. (CI. 4728) The present invention relates to a new and improved plant shelter and method of manufacturing the same.

A number of recent experiments have been conducted by me in an effort to develop an improved plant shelter of a ventilated type having a new and improved upper end closure so that the roof of the shelter can be conveniently assembled and so that the shelter can efficiently operate when assembled without any tendency to collapse due to heavy snow accumulations thereon.

My shelter includes a reinforced tube and a paper tube which has a length substantially greater than the length of the reinforced tube. The reinforced tube is secured with one end of the paper tube to provide the shelter with a reinforced ground engaging end. The tubes are telescoped over a plant and an upper end of the paper tube is held closed over an upper end of a plant, enclosed within the shelter, by means of suitable stitching and the like. The reinforced lower end of the shelter is anchored to the ground around the plant by means of a series of hooks or stakes.

According to important features of this invention, my container has a ventilating tube at its upper end that is suspended from a folded layer of a folded closed upper end of the shelter.

I According to other important features of this invention, a new and improved closed end is herein disclosed whereby the shelter is provided with a peaked roof having inclined roof side wall portions of a rather steep inclination to shed snow and rain to prevent moisture accumulations thereon.

In view of the foregoing description, it will now be appreciated that it is an important object of my invention to provide a new and improved plant container which can be more conveniently assembled and which can operate more effectively than prior types of containers or shelters.

Still another important object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method of manufacturing a plant shelter which is capable of resisting moisture accumulations on its upper roof end.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully become apparent in view of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating therein a single embodiment and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged perspective view of my plant shelter;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view as shown on the line IIII looking in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of my plant shelter;

FIGURE 4 is a side view illustrating the shelter in an assembled condition; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrating the relationship of the air ventilating pipe or tube relative to the shelter.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 19 indicates generally my ventilated plant shelter. The shelter 19 is comprised of a series of component parts including a poly-sided reinforcing tube 11 that is preferably comprised of a reinforcing material such as a blank of corrugated paperboard. This blank has a series of transversely scored areas 13 to permit the blank to be formed into a poly-sided tube with "ice opposite ends 14 and 15 being suitably secured by rivets or staples at 16.

Another component of the plant shelter 10 is a waterproof tube 12 that has a length in excess of the length of the reinforcing tube 11. The waterproof tube is comprised of a parallel edged piece of waterproof material and its opposite ends 17 and 18 are suitably secured such as by glue or the like.

The tubes are then telescoped and secured by suitable means such as staples or rivets 19 so that the lower end of the weatherproof tube 12 is reinforced at its lowermost end by the reinforcing tube 11.

Thereafter, the tubes 11 and 12 are punched to form holes 20. Stakes 21 are provided for anchoring the shelter to the ground. These stakes 21 have a hooked upper end that is engageable within the holes 20 extended through the tubes 11 and 12 as seen in FIGURE 2. It will further be appreciated that the holes 20 can be formed in the tubes 11 and 12 at any suitable time during the manufacture of my shelter.

The non-reinforced end 22 of the weatherproof tube is then partially collapsed causing downwardly slanted or inclined roof side Wall portions 23 and 24 to be formed which are joined at opposite sides by peak-shaped end roof closure portions 25. Uppermost ends 26 and 26a of the side wall .portions 23 and 24 are collapsed together as opposed plies and are then folded at 27 and 27a disposing the uppermost ends 26 and 26a as a flap in lapped relation over and against one of the conical side wall portions 23 to form a thoroughly water-shedding peaked roof.

A stiff generally U- or hook-shaped plastic ventilating tube 28 is then positioned at one end 28a interiorly of and between the conical side Wall portions 23 and 24 and suspended or hung by its bight over the internal fold 27a. The ventilating tube 28 has its outer end 28b positioned between the folded uppermost ends 26 and 26a and eX- tending downwardly. Stitching 30 is then provided to close the open end and to secure the folded ends 26 and 26a to the conical side Wall portion 23 thereby locking the ventilating tube 28 in position against slippage and lateral movement.

It has been found that where the waterproof tube 12 is comprised of a moisture resistant material having vapor and moisture barriers therein, that the life of the shelter can be prolonged. Excellent results are obtainable where an asphalt laminated paper is used. The ventilating pipe 28 can be comprised of any suitable material such as rubber or plastic.

The method of manufacturing my plant shelter is illustrated in FIGURES 3-5, and is more particularly disclosed and claimed in my Patent 3,270,627 issued Sept. 6, 1966. The shelter 10 is manufactured from a sheet of corrugated paperboard 11' as illustrated in FIGURE 3. This sheet is initially sized to shape and scored at longitudinally spaced intervals such as illustrated in 13 in FIGURE 3. This blank 11' is then folded and formed into a poly-sided or multi-sided corrugated or reinforced paperboard tube 11 in which the scorings 13 provide joints extending generally axially of the tube between the generally flat panel sides of this tube. The ends 14 and 15 of the blank 11' are disposed in lapped relation and secured by the staples 16.

The shelter 10 further includes a flexible paper tube 12 which is preferably formed from a weather resistant type paper as previously described. The tube 12 may be formed by lapping the opposite ends 17 and 18 of a parallel edged piece of paper in lapped relation and by securing the lapped ends by suitable means here comprising a non-soluble glue. Other means such as staples or the like can be used.

According to my method of manufacture, the tubes '3 v3) 11 and 12 are then disposed in telescoped assembly as is illustrated in FIGURE 4 whereupon the telescoped tubes are secured together by means of the series of staples 19. It will be noted that the reinforced tube 11 has a bottom edge that is horizontally aligned with a bottom edge of the paper tube 12 so the reinforcing is provided at the bottom edge of the tube.

The holes 20 are preferably formed after the tubes have been assembled and such holes can be punched out in any suitable manner.

The uppermost ends 26 and 26a of the paper tube 12 are then flattened to form a generally inclined peakshaped roof configuration. In the process of flattening the upper ends into an inclined roof configuration, portions of the upper edges 26 and 26a of the paper tube 12 are engaged together. Portions adjacent to the upper edges are then folded at 27 and 27a and engaged against side wall portion 23 on the flattened peak'shaped upper end of the paper tube 12. I

It will be noted that the folds 27 and 27a are extended transversely at right angles to the area of engagement between the opposite ends 17 and 18 of the material and folded under the flap 26, 26a.

The U-shaped or curved ventilating tube 28 is then formed to shape. As illustrated in FIGURE 5, this tube is suspended or hung on the folded upper edge 27 of the internal fold 27a and positioned so that an outer end 260 provides a closure and overlies the ventilating tube 28.

The folded ends 26 and 26a are then stitched as indicated by the stitch line 30- to secure the folded ends together and against and with the conical side wall portion 23 of the paper tube 12 so that the folded ends are held in a fixed position with the tube 12. The stitching 39 also serves to hold the ventilating tube 28 in position to prevent accidental displacement since the stitches extend at opposite sides of the ventilating tube.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon, all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ventilated plant shelter which includes a weather resistant tube, said weather resistant tube comprising a piece of material having side edges secured in lapped relation, the tube having its upper end area collapsed providing a peaked roof for shedding moisture and being folded positioning a folded over area against one of a pair of inclined sides defining the peaked roof, and means for holding the folded over area in fixed engagement with the side of the peaked roof, the folded over area comprising layers of the tube having inner and outer folds, and a substantially U-shaped ventilating pipe having its bight suspended on the inner fold with one end extending into the interior of the tube and with an opposite end disposed exteriorly of said folded over area.

2. A ventilated plant shelter of the character described which comprises,

a Weather resistant vertically extending tube of substan tial length having a collapsed upper end area having inclined sides converging to define a peaked roof having a transversely extending folded over portion protecting'the inside of the tube from moisture and folded along an inclined side of the peaked roof of the tube,

said folded over portion comprising inner and outer folds formed by the collapsed Wall of the tube,

and a ventilating pipe extending between said inner and outer folds and having an end opening into said tube in a generally downward direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner. P. A. RAZZANO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A VENTILATED PLANT SHELTER WHICH INCLUDES A WEATHER RESISTANT TUBE, SAID WEATHER RESISTANT TUBE COMPRISING A PIECE OF MATERIAL HAVING SIDE EDGES SECURED IN LAPPED RELATION, THE TUBE HAVING ITS UPPER END AREA COLLAPSED PROVIDING A PEAKED ROOF FOR SHEDDING MOISTURE AND BEING FOLDED POSITIONING A FOLDED OVER AREA AGAINST ONE OF A PAIR OF INCLINED SIDES DEFINING THE PEAKED ROOF, AND MEANS FOR HOLDING THE FOLDED OVER AREA IN FIXED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SIDE OF THE PEAKED ROOF, THE FOLDED OVER AREA COMPRISING LAYERS OF THE TUBE HAVING INNER AND OUTER FOLDS, AND A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED VENTILATING PIPE HAVING ITS BIGHT SUSPENDED ON THE INNER FOLD WITH ONE END EXTENDING INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE TUBE AND WITH AN OPPOSITE END DISPOSED EXTERIORLY OF SAID FOLDED OVER AREA. 